Democrats Make Rising Electricity Bills a Central Theme in Midterm Campaigns

Democratic candidates and clean energy advocates are making rising electricity bills a central issue in the midterm campaign ahead of the November 3 election, with races in Arizona, Ohio, Michigan and Texas in focus. National average electricity prices have risen about 10% in the last two years, according to federal figures cited in coverage. In Arizona, which recorded its hottest summer on record, Diali Avila of the advocacy group Climate Power said her monthly power bill reached $400, the highest she has had.

Phoenix business owner Koral Casillas said her August utility bill was $1,500 and rose to $1,700 the next month. She appeared at a press conference with Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill, Democratic candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission, which is considering a third rate increase in four years for Arizona Public Service, this one of 14 percent. In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico is pledging lower energy costs, emergency relief for spiking bills, making data centers pay for their own grid upgrades and more energy jobs. Charles Hua of PowerLines said this could be the first election cycle in which utility bills become a top-tier national issue. Most forecasts project Democrats winning the House and a narrow Senate majority.

Left-leaning outlets, The Guardian and Mother Jones (republishing Inside Climate News), lead with household bills. The Guardian features Avila and Hua and links bills and data centers to possible Democratic gains in Ohio, Arizona and Michigan. Mother Jones centers on Casillas's bills and the little-known Arizona Corporation Commission, naming the Democratic candidates. Deutsche Welle, an alternative source, takes a distinct angle: Democrats are largely avoiding the term climate change and presenting climate policy as affordability, noting the Trump administration has gutted climate policy. It quotes Max Frankel of the SEEC Institute. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.